Extra Special Pets & Animals
Jun 5, 2009 7:00 pm US/Central
Turtle Population Takes a Hit Due To Busy Traffic
(WCCO)
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Wildlife experts said when one Blanding's Turtle is killed, 30 years of reproduction are lost. They are asking people that if they see a turtle on a roadway, to move it off the road and into the direction it is heading.
CBS
We aren't the only ones on the move when the weather gets nice. June is the time of year when female turtles are looking for places to lay their eggs. To do that, many times they have to cross busy roads to get to their nest and lately the roads haven't been too kind.
"To lay its eggs, to get away from the wetland. And many of our wetlands have roads bordering them and so they have to go across," said Madeleine Linck of Three Rivers Park District in Plymouth.
Because there has been so much construction this year, Hennepin County put up new turtle crossing signs along busy roadways this week. They want people to know that some turtle species have been hit hard by construction and distracted driving -- mostly drivers using their cell phones.
The Blanding's Turtle is a threatened species in Minnesota. To help out, Three Rivers Park District is putting cages around nests to protect them from predators and give them a chance to repopulate.
"They only want to lay their eggs and go back in the water," said Linck.
Linck said people can help by simply keeping their eyes on the road.
"There is no excuse. Turtles do not jump out like a frog or a squirrel or a deer. They simply often will just sit there quietly, close up in their shell and wait for you to go by," she said.
Wildlife experts said when one Blanding's Turtle is killed, 30 years of reproduction are lost. They are asking people that if they see a turtle on a roadway, to move it off the road and into the direction it is heading.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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